Anthony Bowens Wants Wrestling Fans To Give AEW PPVs A Chance First Before Criticizing Them
With All Out 2023 in the books, the AEW roster should probably be taking a nice long break to rest on their laurels and reflect on a week that featured two PPV events and three televised shows. However, some AEW roster members used the hours after All Out to chew out any critics of the lengthy show.
"This is the 4567th time people complained leading up to a show and as per usual @AEW DELIVERS and then some," AEW World Trios Champion Anthony Bowens wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "When are we gonna learn here?"
This is the 4567th time people complained leading up to a show and as per usual @AEW DELIVERS and then some. When are we gonna learn here? #AEWAllOut
— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) September 4, 2023
Bowens was soon responded to by longtime AEW advocate Ibou of Wrestle Purists, who cautioned Bowens not to take out his frustrations on fans, as their criticism and analysis is a sign of a passionate, devoted fanbase, but Bowens would hear none of it.
"I relate to this bc last year I was FLOODED with why tf are The Acclaimed in this tag title match?" Bowens wrote in a follow-up. "Only a week of build? This match will suck! But then it ended up being a match people are still talking about." Bowens thanks Ibou and other fans for the criticism but assures them that the AEW locker room is always capable of putting on good matches, whether the creative team gives them a good build for the match or not.
Hi! I barely ever comment on stuff like this but to clarify, I just hop on here sometimes and my timeline is full of "this whole ppv is shit" without even watching the finished product yet. I relate to this bc last year I was FLOODED with why tf are The Acclaimed in this tag... https://t.co/JhxPy3fUZV
— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) September 4, 2023
Bowens wasn't the only one lashing out at critics, as The Dark Order's Jon Silver also took to social media to yell at fans, even telling one fan complaining about the hefty price of two PPVs to simply stop being poor.
Echoing Legends
While some might question the maturity of these outbursts, the former AEW World Tag Team Champion is merely echoing the sentiments of WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff and AEW Broadcaster Jim Ross, both of whom have taken issue with critical fans over the past few weeks.
"I shake my head in amazement that some fans have gut-quartered the booking, and the matches haven't even happened," JR said in the days leading up to last week's All In, which despite criticisms of its build ended up filling Wembley Stadium and setting a new world record for paid attendance to a professional wrestling event. "God knows there's a lot of fans that are insane about critiquing and reviewing ... just let it happen, enjoy it."
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff shared very similar sentiments in the days before All In. "It's the brand that sold 80,000 tickets," Bischoff said, saying that CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and any other former WWE talent helped build the brand, but the brand is nonetheless the draw at this point, which is no small feat according to the Hall of Famer. "I think that is an amazing accomplishment. What I would love for people to do is just wait and see how this event comes off before you decide it was done improperly."